Come Away to the Water
by Chimochi
Summary: Penny Hayes has always ingnored the torture and the games until last year when she watched her best friend, Keaton, die. This years reaping she has to make a choice. Live or die? 25th Hunger games/ Three shot
1. Chapter 1

Come Away to the Water

* * *

I counted two dead today, both from district six.

"How many are left?" Martin my district partner whispered. I stared into the fake, hazy man-made sky watching the last of the dead tributes pictures fade. "Hey, I said how many are left?"

"I don't want to talk." I said

"Are, are you still upset that I brought up…him?" I sat up smashing the dying embers of the fire discontented wishing Martin would shut his mouth.

"I told you, end of discussion." Martin bowed his head continuing to pick at the earth lethargically digging a small hole with his sharp, curved fishing knife. _Are, are you still upset that I brought up…him?_ Upset? I'm not even sure upset is the right word to describe how I feel. Guilt? Remorseful? Disgusted? I felt like rolling into a ball never to unravel myself.

Keaton Slade.

Keaton Slade was his name. He was my best friend.

I never gave much thought about torture or the games until his name was drawn last year. We were both fifteen. Growing up we heard stories of people getting their tongues cut out. I've heard of tortures of denailing, hamstringing, and pitchcapping. These tortures where supposedly kept for the rebelling people of all districts, all tortures involved the removal of body parts.

That year I watched my best friend die. I never had a real family since the death of my parents at six years old. That's when Keaton and his father stepped in. Since then, Keaton and his father was the only real family I had left. When Keaton died his father step out of my life like I was a painful memory. Then my reaping came when I turned sixteen.

"Penny Hayes!"

A light ocean breeze swirled through the crowd sending the salty scents washing over me. Goosebumps consumed me making the hair rise on my arms. Automatically I scan over to the spot where Keaton stood the year before. A small underfed boy about the age of twelve stood where he stood. He stared at me with fear and relief in his eyes. That same relief I felt all the years before when my name wasn't picked out of that big glass bowl.

Everyone around me stepped back waiting for the peacekeepers to retrieve me from the crowd. Men in white informs stalked toward me.

"No," I whisper finding my voice. "I don't want to go. I don't want to go where Keaton went." I told the little boy. A flash of memories light my eyes. Memories back when they took Keaton away.

* * *

A woman with long white hair ending at her shoulders called his name. Her green static eyes searched in every direction. Beside me Keaton was trembling, but he stayed still. I was scared and the realization hit me hard in the chest. I tried to take a step forward but I stood still.

_Help him.__ Help him. Help him. Help him._

The crowd parted quickly around Keaton. They parted so fast I wouldn't have been fooled if he had a disease. Keaton took a chance to run through a small break in the crowd. He didn't even make it out of the town square before Peacekeepers intercepted him. I watched his body fall limp.

Many people screamed or gasp in fear while I stood still watching my friend being dragged toward the stage. I didn't do anything but watch.

_Help him._

"Don't worry, he is not dead! Your Peacekeepers have only stunned him," The Capitol woman called out. She seemed to find it amusing. "The games haven't even started! Where would the fun be in that?"

* * *

Snapping out of the memory I watched two big hands wrapped in white gloves attach around me. Forcefully dragging me they pushed me closer toward the stage.

Closer and closer I saw the faces I knew from town, Riley, Rhymer, Phox, and Tiberius; I walked more petrified.

"Help me." I said with dread clearly coated in my voice. I felt something sharply poke me in the center of my back. I turned my head, it was a gun.

"For motivation." The peacekeeper said coldly.

The moment I was at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the stage I knew no help was coming, just like the help that didn't come to Keaton. Climbing the stairs I blinked hard releasing any silent tears before the cameras found me. Someone grabbed underneath my shoulder helping me up the stairs. I wanted to scream when I saw Saffra Redpath. She was the same woman who had called Keaton's.

"Penny Hayes, District Four!"

The salty breeze ceased. Nobody volunteered. Nobody helped.

My name is Penny Hayes, my name was drawn, Keaton Slade is dead, and I'm in the Hunger games.

I turned up at the hazy sky again. _"How many are left?" _I remember Martin asking.

"Four tributes left…and we're one of them."

"May the odds be ever in our favor."


	2. Chapter 2

I always thought Keaton was strong. During the days we were together we'd sneak down to a small piece of beach I found. It's where we both learned how to swim. We were caught twice by our district peacekeepers. They threatened us fifty whips at the post if they caught us again. It never stopped Keaton.

We always tried to ignore the pain and suffering around us.

"Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice." My father used to say. Maybe that is what kept us strong, or maybe it's what kept us weak.

* * *

"Penny, hey, earth to Penny!" Martin, my district partner waved his hand in my face. I pushed it back.

"What?"

"You dozed off for a second."

I got up reaching for my weapon for choice, my spear. I'm not very good at handling weapons but I discovered my talent with spear handling just six days ago. Six days ago when I killed a boy from district twelve. According to his picture in the sky he was a fifteen year old boy named Baron.

"Are you okay?"

"No Martin. How can I be okay? Are you okay?" Martin seemed noticed his stupid question.

"Uh, we should get going."

"Listen, I think we should split up. The games are almost over now."

"Who's left?"

"Boy from district one and the girl from seven, then there is us. So there is fou-"

A scream erupted from the woods. It sounded so inhuman I couldn't tell if it was produced by male or female. The arena was surrounded by green mountains. Martin and I were in between the valleys. The scream echoed in all directions making it impossible to tell where the scream came from. I looked to the sky to see birds flying from a clearing. I guessed the birds were about a mile away that meant the scream was close and it chilled my bones. The boom of the cannon sounded. I picked my spear up.

"I lied, there's three left." The boy from district one showed up on the sky.

Martin picked up his fishing knife.

"Maybe we should take on district seven together."

I paused to think. I've never really knew Martin, but I've seen him around in school. The games are coming to a close; he could turn on me before we take out seven. I gulped.

"Martin, when the time comes...I don't want to be the one to kill you."

I noticed he struggled for a moment. He gripped his knife tightly. Martin was seventeen, he had muscle packed on his bones and could easily take me on. I started to regret not leaving him sooner even if he gave me protection. I realized that _protection_ could easily turn on me.

"Martin?"

"May-maybe we should end it now."

I stood in a solid stance as he turned toward me. With his knife held out to attack he swung at me, I screamed. With the blunt end of my spear I kicked up dirt into Martin's face. He slashed the air but no prevail dirt landed in his eyes. Martin charged me; thrusting my spear he dodged the blow. His plan was to get close enough to me where I couldn't thrust my spear within the space between us. Predicting his plan I feinted high and then attacking low with a quick cut at the ankles. Retreating I trip over my backpack. Taking the chance Martin leaped on me rendering my limbs useless. Martin raised his knife high ready to strike. I closed my eyes.

* * *

The last night Keaton lived there where only nine other tributes left. He was being chased by careers. Technically Keaton and I are careers from district four, but we never enjoyed their drive to kill for fun.

He was bruised, bleeding from his forehead. Quickly he took refuge in an oak tree; careers sounding the tree.

"Awh, I didn't know sea boy knew how to climb!"

"I used to climb the trees back in town." Keaton yelled

"You have anyone you care about back home, sea boy?" Keaton didn't answer.

"Why don't you come down and we careers can have a district four luau?" One career girl shouted raising a torch. She lifted it up like she was giving a toast.

"How about no."

Her district partner grabbed for the torch. "Gimme that. Fine we'll start without you." Terror washed over me like a cold blanket when they set fire to the tree Keaton was in.

Smoke had risen and flames started to lick the bottom of his shoes. Sitting back at home I watched desperately as he coughed sucking up the smoke.

_No come on, do something!_

"Watcha waiting for sea boy?!" The careers snickered down below.

Keaton jumped; dangling from a nearby tree branch. Keaton laughed at his success only to stop when it snapped.

* * *

Right before I thought my life would end I heard something I didn't expect. Martin cried.

"I can't! I just can't! I'm so sorry Penny," Martin rolled off me. I scrambled away gripping my spear again if Martin changed his mind. "I haven't even killed anyone yet, nobody in my whole life. How could I kill now," I backed up slowly. "It'll never end, Penny. It'll never end."

In a flash Martin raised his knife slitting his throat. I tried yelling out Martin's name but it wasn't Martin's I yelled. It was Keaton's.

**_Boom_**

Without thinking I picked up Martin's fishing knife and ran. I didn't dare stop.

* * *

I remember, before my father died, he told me and Keaton,

"Penny, I don't want to never to climb the trees in town. We live by the ocean, not the forest. The trees here are weak and brittle, like the drift wood you catch in the sea. Penny, if you ever find a situation where you have to climb a tree, always make sure that the branch is as big as your bicep. It must just hold you."

I never forgot his words.

I screamed at the television as I watched Keaton's body fall until he collided with the ground.

**_Boom_**


	3. Chapter 3

I ran through the valley until I came upon an open rocky field. Golden sweet grass came up to my thighs. Ahead of me I climbed to the top of the huge boulders to throw up. I almost fell off the boulder that led off a one-hundred foot drop.

"Whoa." My body still shook from Martin's suicide. The blood collected on the blade of his knife started to congeal. In desperation I wipe the blade staining my khaki cargo pants with red.

* * *

The twenty-fourth Hunger Games, the one before me, victor was from district two. He was a tall burly sixteen year old who participated in Keaton's death. When he visited our district in the victory tour he actually looked pleased. That day I stood in front of the crowd, my face blank. His blue eyes caught my green filled with grief. I saw no remorse in his. Just the glassy ice pools of blue that were his eyes.

* * *

Behind me I heard a sound of feet scuffling on rocks. It was Seven, lumber district; a girl with long blonde hair, bloody axe in hand. The cuts made on her body made me cringe. This was not the girl from seven I saw in the interviews before the games. Her leg was severely cut but made no mind to pay attention to it.

With all her might she swung her axe. Barely missing I rolled to my left. In retaliation I threw my spear missing her by inches. Unluckily for me my spear was thrown between the cracks in the rocks below me.

I run toward my spear trying to pull it free. Nothing. I lean on the shaft wiggling it free, nothing. One last attempt I lean on the shaft again. The wood started to bend. _Come one. Work with me here._

_Snap_

The shaft of the spear broke in two still leaving the spear tip wedged in the rocks. The free end where the shaft broke in two left it with a sharp splintered end on both ends. It was still sharp enough for a weapon.

Seven found her way down from the cliff side beside me. Her face far from domesticated. Slicing her axe through the air I ducked beneath hearing a whizzing sound where my head used to be. The space between us is too small for a good strike. My splintered spear is good for one last hit before it's rendered useless.

I punch Seven in the throat. Bringing up my foot I use my strength to kick Seven square in the chest. She tumbles backwards hitting her head on a rock. She didn't move. I waited for the cannon, it didn't come. Slowly, spear ready to strike, I walk toward Seven. Blood is coming out above her right ear. Skull fracture I was positive. Still no cannon. In a flash my spear was kicked out of my hand landing feet beside me.

"You're going to have to try harder than that."

Stumbling back she advanced. Hitting me with the dull side of the axe I scream when I felt my cheek bone shatter.

"Pay back's a bitch."

I fall to my knees spitting blood. I wheeze hard when Seven kicked my stomach.

"I've always hated careers. You're not as tough as you think you are."

I grabbed my stomach in pain but before my fingers brush against Martins fishing knife. It happened so fast I didn't know I had the energy. I replayed the last moments in my head.

I grabbed for the fishing knife sinking the blade into Seven's thigh. Both of us perplexed I grabbed for the back of her knees tackling her backwards, Seven screamed. In the middle of her torso poked my other end of the spear stuck in the rocks. Her scream was inhuman like the boy from district one.

"Look at what you did." She croaked.

I stared at the fatal wound slumping backwards. Spent, I took in the relentless heat of the sun watching the clouds pass by. I heard Seven's soft whimpering cries. Soon she would die and the hovercraft would take me away back to district four.

* * *

The day they brought back Keaton's body he was in a simple coffin only created to keep scents of death out. The peacekeepers told his father to rid of the body before tomorrow or they would. I couldn't even being to think what they would do. Hours pass and my best friend was still there. Dead.

So I buried him. I buried him on the little piece of beach I found, where we both learned how to swim.

* * *

My body survived but my mind will always be left here, already dead. I'm alive, but dead. I felt like drift wood, so light and weak the softest breeze could roll me away. Is that what Keaton felt like? Then I realized why Martin took his life. He could have won, but the tortures he would endure would not cease to end. There is no way out of the Capitol's hands. Martin was afraid. For twenty-four years tributes died for the Capitol's entertainment.

_"It'll never end, Penny. __It'll never end._"

Seven's labored breathing started to turn to even, quiet shallow breaths. I'm going to win; I can go back, but to what? Martin's death was a cowardly death. He died for his own selfish needs.

The Capitol doesn't need a winner. My whole life I've been quiet, every one of the thirteen districts is quiet. I was quiet when Keaton was reaped, now they will not quiet me. They will not put me down forcibly. Unlike Martins my death will have purpose. I will be a martyr.

"There will be no winner." I spoke softly.

_Boom_ went Sevens cannon. I crawled over the rock ledge looking down at the river below that streamed like a snake. In the distance I could hear the hovercraft zooming in on me.

_I wonder who will bury me_. A single tear slid down my fractured cheek bone.

They will not _quell_ me.

I fell.

* * *

**Epilogue**

The Capitol and the thirteen districts will never forget the twenty-fifth Hunger Games. For punishment for the loss of their victor, the Capitol decreed that every twenty-five years the number of victors will double. In that the thirteen districts will be reminded of Penny Hayes actions. They call it the Quarter Quell.


End file.
